Laplaces Conceptions of Spiritual Counseling - Essay Example

"A Journey to the unknown, and a signpost to God: LaPlace's conceptions of spiritual counseling." As much as man progresses outwardly, it is only inside that he can realize himself. It is only in his innermost silence that anyone can understand his relationship with God. Spiritual direction means that someone has reached his centre, and that he's able to help others do the same. In the words of Jean LaPlace from the 1975 book "Preparing for spiritual direction", spiritual direction is defined as "the help one person gives another in assisting her to become herself in the faith." This unbiased perspective of what is the role that God plays in each human's heart (which is same, and nuclear) is what makes "Preparing for spiritual direction" such a great book, not just for future spiritual counselors, but actually for anyone who wants to understand his own conscience; similarly, it's not just a good book for people who practice Christianity, but for any member of any religion, since it aims for an universal conception of God; Creeds are but perspectives, and despite the existence of many branches, the source is but One; and the source is within each man's heart. A counselor is someone who has come to terms with his own heart, which grants him the ability to make fellow humans come to terms with theirs. The book is a clear and practical guide to assist any priest in offering counseling and spiritual direction. It's structured in five parts, which reflect the progression that must be undertaken by anyone who wishes to be a spiritual director. First and foremost, one needs to be able to direct his own conscience, before he can except to be able to effectively help others; one cannot possibly expect to stabilize other spirits unless he has settled his own spirit first. Inner peace invites outer peace, in the same measure that inner turmoil only brings about outer confusion. So, the spiritual director must direct his own conscience before he attempts to illuminate anyone else's. Second, we who follow this path must understand the nature of the spiritual dialogue; we must understand prayer, and we need to learn listening to the silent voice of the heart, which is no other but the voice of God. We must learn to realize the universal currents that bind the whole of humanity together, we must learn to see God in our own lives before we expect to point out how god manifests in the lives of those we seek to advice. The spiritual director is a person of prayer and experience, who understands and accepts his strengths as well as his shortcomings, his sins as well as his virtues; he's someone who learns to understand and cope with his feelings, and trough such knowledge he is able to understand others and help them manage themselves. Third, LaPlace elaborates quite clearly on the details regarding the formation of a Spiritual Director. Not only must he be able to listen to his own inner voice, but he must also be able to listen to others, and reach out to them in order to help them find their own strengths. The director must be both a witness and a friend; he must be someone who helps, either by asking or listening, but especially by being able to discern the appropriate time for each. His every effort must be focused in bring about awareness, and he should direct the advisee into learning to direct his own conscience. Fourth, the author talks of the kinds of spiritual direction. According to Laplace, all persons should be regarded equally by the spiritual director, and there should be no distinction between persons, religious or otherwise and even priests. Although, each particular case prompts for a specific guidance; we must learn to adjust our methods accordingly. The spiritual director must be a sharp observer of human differences, in order to determine which road is more suitable to lead each person to himself. Finally, the last section of the book is about the psychology of the directed, which is a refining of the spiritual director's formation. This part offers practical advice about counseling and directing people young and old, as well as helping in the areas of vocational insight, and the development of familiar relationships as well as spiritual relationships; it also reinforces the idea of the necessity of openness and discretion, where it concerns the relationship between the confessor and the confessed. Traditionally throughout the Christian history, spiritual direction has been practiced only by ordained ministers. However, the practice has recently been widened to include non-ordained persons as well. Jean Laplace's conception of spiritual direction as a process of accompanying people on their spiritual journey reaches farther than the tight walls of the institution; for the author, the feeling of religiosity is transversal to all religions, and the greatest teacher is compassionate silence, rather than critical reaching. Everyone has their own faults that he must learn to deal with, and the spiritual guide should not presume that he's different. This conception has been reinforced by recent developments in Catholic life, which make Laplace's work absolutely referential, and ahead of its time. The author had a clear insight and religiousness, and this book is a great exposition of his beliefs; one can benefit greatly from the practical advice contained therein. The most important aspect of Laplace's conception is that he places the individual responsibility in the individual; the counselor is not required to reform his confidents, he should rather focus his efforts in teaching the person to reform himself. For this author, the ultimate goal of a spiritual guide is that of being able to educate towards freedom. Even tough the book is over thirty years old, it speaks volumes about very contemporary debates and concerns regarding spiritual guiding, and its writing style is very different from the usually moralistic and judgmental tones that one expects to find in similar books. The upbeat and honest tone that the author used to express his compassionate views around spiritual counseling make this book useful for any one who seeks to thread the path to liberation, whether the person is Catholic or not. It's not just a good book for aspiring clergyman; in fact, suspect even the most experienced priest can benefit from this reading. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who looks forward to re-connect with the higher power concealed within, but I'd especially recommend it for people who would like to be able to offer good advices to his friend and family, because there are many practical observations regarding the qualities that make a good counselor. One must lean to be warm, but not overwhelming, and one must learn to trust and let the person pace herself, while establishing an open and sharing relationship; above all, one who seeks to be a spiritual director must trust in God's power to help him help the others; and it's impossible to trust God's powers to help others, unless one has experienced that power beforehand. One must learn to be confident, in order to help others be confident in them selves, as well as in the importance of doing the right thing, at all times. Read More